PIK POK usually spawns interesting games, and as such, having a look at Turbo FAST could hardly be looked upon as an imposition. Loosely based upon DreamWorks movie and television series, it highlights the tale of snails who dare to dream to live a life of speed.

It’s a racing game, and a good portion of the ambiance is based upon the creative prowess of the developer. The snail raceways are quite intricate, and rendered with three lanes of windy, challenging “road.” There are natural slow-down areas, and also boost sections built in. These boost sections are reminiscent of the speed boosts in Mario Kart in placement and functionality. It’s a colorful explosion of color, with fairly believable physics and animations that will have players mentally skidding.

It incorporates different choices with regards to controls: tilting, tapping, virtual joysticks and touch; I like this attention to detail.

Another key element are the tomatoes that line the raceway. These tomatoes can be collected by contact, and are valuable as they serve in-game cash. The placement of the tomatoes makes for collecting them a bit harder, as more risks need to be taken.

Racing proper is all about beating other jet-pack toting snails while competing in leveled “cups” so as to graduate to higher licenses which allow one to race against tougher competition. This career mode type of gameplay just works, as it allows one to race in chunks. Tomatoes are key, as upgrading equipment and attributes are important with regards to being competitive. There are pre-game boosts that can be bought (like extra speed or opponent inhibitors) and then it’s off to race. The races are quite enjoyable, and some actually end in photo-finishes. Tomatoes earned and accrued benefits are tallied at the end, and winning always provides the best payout.

I like that the game isn’t miserly with the tomatoes; it doesn’t feel necessary to shell out real cash, and the ads show other means of accumulating tomatoes (the game is compatible with Tapjoy). I think the menu is a bit busy, but hey.

All in all, it a solid entry, and has that rare ability to be companion game that encourage folks to watch the movie/show that inspired it.